Additional Stories: Not In The Book

There are two kinds of stories here:

Autobiographical

Stories dropped from the book

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL

When Wanderlusting was first published, as Hot Coffee, a number of readers complained that it did not say enough about the writer: who he is, how did he get there. In response, I wrote the "Preface" pieces below. In the end, I did not include them in the book. Their addition, I thought, transformed the book into something closer to the "autobiography" I wanted to avoid. "Autobiography," as said, "is for presidents, movie stars, and serial killers." Further, by claiming "autobiography" or "memoir" an author is obligated, I think, to research the veracity of every little detail. I did not, and I do not care if something happened in 1987 instead of 1986. I wrote stories.

But, because some readers wanted more up front, chronologically speaking, I did back up from what had been the original first story in the book—a narrative about mining in Colorado—by adding the prior-set piece, "Wrestle an old Man for a Job? Ridiculous."

The three pieces below are indeed autobiographical, which, as said, explains their absence from the book. They're here mainly just because I wrote the damn things and don't quite want to throw them in the trash. And, a few readers might be interested.

OTHER STORIES

Note: The following little pieces were originally written for the book but were dropped for one reason or another. They are not finished so I present them here with some misgivings. Maybe I'll do more with them sometime.